Customer Ratings & Reviews

I bought the Arctis Nova Pro years ago and I love them. I thought they were peak until these came out. I have had them for a few weeks and I have really loved the Comfort. Yes, while they look the same they are a lot more comfortable. The sound is a lot better too, that said if you do not care about sound or do not pay attention to it you may not notice, but they are better then the Pro's. That said, to me the main feature is being able to have multiple Channels on and being able to listen to them at the same time. I personally have a long time friend that I play with on Xbox and talk to him a lot. Being able to be in a Party on Xbox and still go and play PlayStation and listen to my game there is amazing. This is Next Level Headset and the Price shows it. The Unboxing is also a lot better then the Nova Pro's a lot more Premium. I really recommend them to the people that can afford them. It is something you will have for years and get your Monies Worth. Truly an Amazing Headset!

I honestly think Steel Series is loosing revenue at a 600 price tag. 399 would have been the sweet spot for these. When you combine comfort, loads of features and sound I just had to do it. . I do happen to like Sonar software for EQ customization. They sound pretty good right out of the box, spending a little more time EQ'ng can certainly elevate further. I also noticed i get a stronger wireless range in comparison to my A50 gen5. The Elite has become my #1 go to wireless headset for daily use due to all that it packs into one. If sound is the only thing you care about, I would look somewhere else like the Maxwells or while you are looking at this price range might as well consider audiophiles like the Audeze LCD-GX which are amazing for FPS. Note I did not pay full price, I used heavily gift cards to subsidize cost

I work from home and game several nights a week, so I was looking for headphones with great sound quality for music and gaming, microphone quality for calls and gamechat, and software to make EQ and switching between phone calls and my PC seamless. Above all else, they also have to be comfortable to wear for 4+ hours at a time. These headphones check every box and are some of the most comfortable headphones, gaming or audiophile, that I've ever worn.

I like the two batteries that it comes with and it have came in more handy then I’ve aspected it to be, overall a good product and would recommend. I’ve heard more detail sounds for rainbow six siege now than I did before with my old headset

After owning almost every high end headset for the last 10 years, this by far the BEST headset I've ever experienced! Do the research and check the specs. Sound is amazing and the features are bar none. Access from your cell phone, light and super comfortable. Very well built. Yes, it's expensive. But you get what you pay for!!

Top-Tier Audio and Ultimate Comfort Pros: Incredible sound clarity, multi-system compatibility, very comfortable for long sessions, sleek design. Cons: Premium price (but worth it for the quality). My opinion: I recently upgraded to the Arctis Nova Elite, and the difference is night and day. The carbon fiber drivers provide a level of detail that I haven't experienced with other headsets—the highs are crisp and the bass is punchy without being overwhelming. The wireless base station is a standout feature; it’s extremely convenient to have that level of control right at my desk. I use these primarily for long gaming and streaming sessions, and I haven't dealt with any ear fatigue or discomfort at all. It feels like a truly premium piece of gear that justifies the investment. If you want the best possible audio for your setup, look no further. I would recommend this to a friend.

As a gamer, movie, and huge music enjoyer - these headphones are the last headphones I'll ever need, keeps up with top of the line audiophile gear while also making it easy for the gang to hear me on comms lol - doesn't get better than this, wonderfully built, very comfortable, can't rec more, they are worth it, believe it or not. Tips: buy some wicked cushions if you want even crazier comfort (stock pads are fantastic), sign up for "Tidal" music (thank me later), and checkout the software "Sonar" - its fantastic and easy to use - makes these things sound so much more dynamic!!

I originally purchased the Steel Series Pro on Black Friday for $280 and liked them so much except it was missing the 1 feature that Nova 7 and Elites had which was the Companion Phone App. I wasnt gonna downgrade at this point, so I decided to return the Pro and upgrade to the Elite. The sound quality is comparable with both, although I feel the Elites are slightly more crisp but the Pro seemed to pack more bass. And the ANC seemed to block out more background noise with the pro's in my opinion but the Elites eluminate that backround hiss you get from many ANC products. Transparency mode works very well with the built in microphones. The the boom mic on the Elites also feels like an upgrade. And I like the ease of use of the chat mix and separate mic EQ settings. The ability to adjust sidetones so youre nit screaming in to the mic is also useful. Honestly, the only reason I upgraded was for the feature of the phone app which makes customization much more easier than using the base station or having to use Sonar on a PC. All and all, The Elite is great headphones, but if you can do without the phone app its not worth the extra $300 dollars.

Sound is great. Had some issues with the connectivity to the companion app. I would definitely stick with the in zone ear buds over these for gaming on the ps5. You can almost purchase two Audeze Maxwell's for this price.

I really wanted to love the Arctis Nova Elite Wireless. For $600, the build quality is absolutely top-notch—everything from the materials to the finish feels extremely premium in hand. SteelSeries nailed the overall construction, and the hot-swappable battery system might be one of the best features any headset has right now. Being able to keep gaming with zero downtime is an instant win. But for me, that’s where the excitement stopped. My biggest issue was comfort. My ears hit the drivers inside the cups, and after about 20–30 minutes the pressure became extremely uncomfortable. The stock ear pads are decent, but if you’re set on keeping this headset, I’d highly recommend upgrading to Wicked Cushions to get any real long-session comfort. The mic was another disappointment. At this price point, I expected extremely clean, broadcast-like quality. Instead, the mic sounded heavily processed—no matter how much tweaking I did. It’s usable, sure, but it’s nowhere near what a $600 “elite” headset should offer. In the end, I decided to go a different route entirely. I picked up a Shure mic on a boom arm and paired a separate DAC with my Beyerdynamic 900 Pro X headphones. The difference in comfort, clarity, and overall sound quality is unreal—truly unmatched by the Nova Elite. I ended up returning these. For $600, getting a subpar mic and uncomfortable ear cup design just isn’t worth it. Great build, great battery system, but the core experience fell short for me.

Sound quality is great and the mic is better than the previous model. Also glad you are now able to download app to be able to browse to different sound and mic settings. Overall happy with the headset and quality.

This headset has many functions that improve quality of life. Having a separate power button for Bluetooth or the dock helps immensely with battery life and connectivity. The mic and speaker quality is phenomenal and it’s the most comfortable headset I’ve worn.

Upgraded from the arctis nova pro and I couldn't be happier with this purchase. The sound quality is amazing for both games and Bluetooth music. The ability to seamlessly swap between gaming consoles is a fantastic quality of life improvement. The build quality is also superb. Right out of the box you can tell this is a premium headset. Fits great and is comfortable for long gaming sessions. The improved mic sounds crisp and clear. The iPhone app is an added bonus. Would definitely recommend. Only thing that slows it down is needing a pc to update the firmware. A clumsy process but once finished it excells in every aspect.

Completely tops the Nova pro at the outrageous price point but well worth it in terms of audio, mic and build quality.

Works very good, no one can hear your background, mic is really good it is the best headset i ever bought.

The Steelseries Arctis Nova Elite are very premium in style, form, and audio quality. This gaming headset also functions as a top-tier pair of audio headphones. You can tune the headset with the accompanying Steelseries GG software to find your preferred audio EQ. The Steelseries app also works well for finding the right EQ setting that suits your needs. The large, plush, soft earcups are comfortable for extended use. The material is faux leather but still feels premium against the skin. The 40mm carbon fiber drivers in the earcups are an innovative touch, and the sound quality shines through with this technology. Hi-res wireless audio is achieved with the accompanying base station, which requires a port connection to your PC. The fabric suspension headband is an adjustable feature that will allow for a comfortable fitting and position on your head, along with the sliding rails in the headband itself. The earcups rotate to lay flat and have some movement for adjusting to your liking. This headset looks and feels more like a product from a premium acoustic-only tech company than from a gaming brand. The Steelseries logo on the earcups is small and contains no wording, so I like its understated design. The right earcup has a Bluetooth button for wireless connection. The right earcup has a power button that also serves as a toggle for ANC controls, a button to mute your chat mic, a scroll wheel for volume control, and a hidden pull-out microphone. You can use the pull-out microphone with AI voice and noise distortion technology, or you can use the beamforming microphones; both work very well for gaming. These headphones' technology allows for 96Khz/24-bit Hi-res audio, so the sound and streaming I've been listening to are accurate, precise, and distinct. The GameHub base station has 3 USB-C ports to allow for multiple inputs such as PC, PS5, and dedicated XBOX inputs. The swappable battery system is a blessing in disguise if you're like me and forget to charge your headset regularly. You'll get almost 60 hours of play through these headphones with each of the 2 swappable batteries providing almost 30 hours of run time. You can also charge the headset directly with a USB-C which I've done many times since I'm using these headphones on the go and at the office. They work so well for daily use headphones for music and video streaming as well. The ANC capability is very nice and on par with many of the leading audio brands. I love the usage of the app and controls built in to find the right level of ANC on, ANC off, and transparency mode. The customization of the EQ for games is incredible with so many audio presets built in for many of the leading games that we all play on a regular basis. Adjusting the EQ settings is easy with the software when using a PC, as I can adjust chat, mic, sound, gaming preference EQ. Yes, this is an ultra premium and ultra luxury set of gaming headphones. I find them to be excellent as gaming headphones, and daily use listening for music, media, movies, streaming. The microphone quality is excellent and allows for the right amount of sidetone and voice chatting so that I'm never repeating myself in a game and I'm always easy to understand. The fit of the headphones is comfortable, and I can wear these for long periods of time through my sessions. I think the software and app provided by Steelseries compliments these Arctis Nova Elite very well as it helps to fine tune the headset to make it more of what I want for my sound quality.

Hands down, this is the best gaming headset I have ever owned. My previous pair was the Arctis Nova Pros, which I once thought were unbeatable, but the Nova Elite takes everything to a whole new level of premium quality. First off, the look and feel are incredible. The new matte black finish is smooth and modern. The mix of metal and aluminum in the headband makes it feel strong and durable, while the elastic suspension band keeps it extremely comfortable during long gaming sessions. The earcups use a soft, plush leatherette material that hugs your head perfectly, keeping game sounds in and unwanted noise out. Despite the premium build, the headset is surprisingly light, so it never feels heavy or tiring to wear. The carbon fiber 55mm drivers are an amazing addition and sound absolutely incredible. The level of customization through the SteelSeries software is unmatched, allowing you to fine-tune the EQ to your exact liking. It can even detect which game you’re playing and automatically adjust the EQ for the best experience. Noise canceling is excellent, both in the headset and the boom mic. I tested the mic with a fan on, which used to drive my party crazy, and they couldn’t hear a thing unless it was blowing directly at me. The retractable boom mic is a nice touch too and when it’s time to relax and watch a movie, it slides neatly back into the headset and stays out of the way. One of the most genius features of this headset is the swappable battery system. You never have to plug it in to charge. Just swap the battery and pop the dead one into the DAC to recharge. The DAC itself looks great on my desk and gives easy control over all the headset’s features with a simple knob and back button. I also love the volume wheel on the headset, which lets you easily adjust volume or balance between game and chat audio. The improved mute button is easier to find and use than on the Arctis Nova Pros. Connectivity is another win! This headset works with Xbox, PS5, PC, Switch, phones, and basically anything that supports Bluetooth. The only downside right now is that there’s no support for this headset in the SteelSeries mobile app yet. It would be great to adjust EQ settings on the fly when using a console instead of having to rely on the DAC or PC software. The mic clarity is outstanding. Everyone I’ve talked to online says I sound crisp and clear. The Nova Elite also delivers positional audio like I’ve never heard before, making it a must-have for FPS games. The bass is deep, and the mids and highs are sharp, creating a rich, balanced sound across the board. After using all of the top-tier gaming headsets on the market, I can confidently say that the SteelSeries Nova Elite stands in a league of its own. Simply the best and absolute perfection!

The Arctis Nova Elite Gaming Headset is flexible, sounds incredible, and creates a complex and flexible ecosystem that I have not experienced from any manufacture to date. Setup: I could write a book on how flexible the Arctis Nova Elite is. The Arctis Nova Elite Game Hub has three USB ports, two 3.5mm jacks, and a 2.4ghz Wireless transmitter. If your device can output via USB or 3.5mm cable, then the Game Hub will mix and transmit your content with support of up to four simultaneous sources. Right out of the box, I was able to connect my Xbox Series X via USB output to the USB 3 input on the Game Hub and transmit directly to the Arctis Nova Elite headset. I was able to sync the headset to my iPhone via Bluetooth, connect to the SteelSeries mobile app, set a game profile for Call of Duty: Back Ops 6 (CoD: BO6), and play with the best audio profile possible over headphones. On the PC Side, I connected my laptop, my gaming desktop, and my iPhone. I used the laptop over USB 1 to manage the SteelSeries GG and Sonar apps, my gaming PC played the game, and my iPhone was used for phone calls while gaming. The default for the Arctis Nova Elite is to mute the other sources when taking a call. I can report that the feature works. The only thing the Game Hub is missing is an HDMI input for TV and movies. Battery Life: For a week, I used the Arctis Nova Elite as my work headset. During my 8 to 10 hour day, I streamed music and participated in multiple MS Team calls. I then ended my day playing Diablo 4 all evening. A single battery lasted me from 7am to 11:30pm of almost continuous operation. Comfort: The Arctis Nova Elite are absolutely the most comfortable and well fitting gaming headset I have ever used. The ear cushions are soft foam with a very soft and flexible covering. The clamping force of the headset is strong enough to keep on my head without causing squeezing or discomfort. I can wear these all day without discomfort. The head band has an inner strap that can be removed and adjusted to fit small and large heads. Overall, I found the comfort of the Arctis Nova Elite excellent! Sound: Gaming: The default sound PEQ for is Flat. Which is ok if the game does not have a pre-configured PEQ profile. For CoD: Black Ops 6, I used the game specific PEQ on the Xbox and found it very enjoyable. I then used the same PEQ through Sonar on the PC and added Spatial Audio processing. That took my game to the next level. I thought it was excellent. I then moved onto Diablo 4. The PEQ for Diablo 4 hit just the right level of atmospheric bass and gory monster sounds. Spatial Audio took Diablo 4 to the next level by cranking up the immersion. Sounds had more impact, more reverb, and 3D positioning on the screen. The experience, again, was excellent. I don’t think I’ll play Diablo 4 again without Spatial Audio. Finally, no review is complete without giant stompy robots. I threw on Mechwarrior 5: Clans and played through the Clan Ghost Bear campaign. Unfortunately, there is no specific profile for this game, yet. Instead, I tried Flat and Music: Rock. Both performed well. Spatial Audio added reverb to bass heavy sound affects but not much more. Maybe a future patch will address the Mechwarrior Games. Sound – PEQs Gaming sound with the PEQs was additive to the gaming and sonic experience. I did not play a single game where the PEQs did not add to the sonic enjoyment or enhance my gaming experience. Adding the Spatial Audio took everything to that next level. Music, on the other hand, just never really worked for me. I found that I was constantly running the gambit of Music PEQs between songs to find the one that worked best for that song. Eventually, I turned that whole thing off and connected the headset directly to my source. Thus, removing the SteelSeries software from the signal path. Sound – Removing the SteelSeries software from the signal path: Removing the SteelSeries software from the signal path for two-channel music was the best thing I could have done. This headset is fantastic for two-channel music. I used both the Game Hub to stream and the dedicated 3.5mm cable. The Carbon Fiber really open up and show why SteelSeries chose to go with these. I streamed everything from Jazz, Classical, Pop, K-Pop, classic rock, and techno. In some cases, these rival a pair of high-end dedicated two-channel headphones that retail for the same price. Game Hub: The Game Hub is a flexible hi-res streamer. I had this connected to my gaming desktop, gaming laptop, and a stereo source over 3.5mm connection. I could stream whatever I wanted to the headset, overlap content through the Game Hub, and just go crazy. Maybe a too crazy. But you get my point. The Game Hub is a DAC Streamer with a huge amount of flexibility to fit any configuration you can dream up. The Game Hub is also an excellent wireless transmitter for a dedicated musical source, like a streamer, either via a USB cable or 3.5mm cable. The Game Hub has a built in EQ which will allow you to adjust the sonic profile of your source as you see fit. Microphone: The sound quality was fantastic by itself. Getting into the PEQs was too much flexibility for my needs. Plus, I was having a hard time finding one that worked for my voice. I chose to keep the PEQ on Flat. This worked with Discord without any issues. And it worked perfectly with MS Teams. The Boom mic and the ear cup omni directional mic worked perfectly. The AI noise canceling did a great job of removing sounds like fan noise and ambient environmental noises from my conversations. ANC: Noise Canceling, in my opinion, is weak. I live, work, and play in a quite house. I could still hear my PC fans and my wife vacuuming the house with ANC turned up to high. During the day, with my windows open, I can hear the cars and trucks running up and down the street. And I hear the water running in the sink in the next room when someone washes their hands. It helps but is not competitive with the likes of Sony or Bose. The only thing worse than the ANC is the Transparency mode. Transparency mode takes normal sounds, over processes them, and then replays them in the ear cup with a metallic, over exaggerated quality. Mic Side Tones further exaggerates the issue. Eventually, I simply turned off this feature and moved on. Conclusion: Overall, I find the Arctis Nova Elite fantastic. Best of breed for a gaming headset. Gaming sound quality is excellent. Hands down, these beat every gaming headset I have ever used in the categories of comfort, musicality, flexibility, and raw gaming performance. ANC and Transparence modes are poor. The multiple battery option is genius! And the shear level of flexibility for connectivity options, sound quality, streaming options, and the ability to combine sound sources into pretty much anything one could dream of making the Arctis Nova Elite headset the best gaming headset I have ever used. It is in a class by itself.

I wasn’t planning on getting another headset this year, but there was an exception… this one. The Arctis Nova Elite wireless over-the-ear headset by SteelSeries is arguably the most thought-out headset on the market, taking several common requests into consideration: 1. If you’re a streamer, using a PS5, this headset allows you to send the voice chat to your PC. 2. Swappable batteries, where one battery can charge inside the GameHub. 3. Over 300 EQ presets for specific video games and music genres. 4. Active noise cancelation with transparency so you can hear your surroundings. 5. Smartphone app that allows customization of every feature. 6. GameHub that displays levels & settings, and allows three USB-C connections simultaneously. The first thing I appreciated was how comfortable the headset was. The premium “Leatherette” ear cushions are so soft and form fitting that it’s like having two clouds, gently hugging your ears. There are enough adjustments that they should fit and feel nice on anyone’s head. The microphone pulls out like other SteelSeries headsets, and has a windscreen that you can add when extended. The headset is already paired with the GameHub out of the box, and I was already hearing sounds when I put them on the first time, after connecting the GameHub to my Xbox Series X. The “flat” EQ setting is actually very good, but if you want to really tweak the sound for each game, you’ll need the smartphone app. This also means you’ll have to pair the headset with your smartphone. If you follow the instructions, this only takes maybe 5 seconds. The app allows you to fine-tune the EQ settings for your game, your phone and microphone. I tried the Black Ops 6 setting while playing Black Ops 6 and it sounded clear and defined. Some of the “notification” sounds were a little boxy, but I believe this is because the BO6 setting is enhancing frequencies related to footsteps. Some games even have two options, like Rainbow Six Siege. I very much preferred the “by Ubisoft” setting. If you like a setting or game, you can add it as a favorite by swiping right and clicking the star icon. There are more generalized settings too like Bass Enhanced and music genre settings. You can also improve the sound of the microphone in the app with EQ and noise cancelation, and my favorite, being able to adjust the mic monitoring. Active noise cancelation can also be adjusted in the app quite efficiently, plus the added transparency setting, which uses microphones on the headset to hear your surroundings. I found the ANC to work very well at removing the air conditioner and the transparency was interesting because it added the air conditioner back in. This is of course meant to allow you to hear the person next to you, while wearing the headset. I think you’d mostly use one or the other. The GameHub very conveniently allows you to plug in three devices at once, so perhaps a PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X. You can also have your smartphone connected while the other devices are connected, allowing you to have 4 sound sources at once. Imagine the possibilities! You can monitor the levels of your devices and microphone on the display. I found adjusting the settings in the GameHub to be a little glitchy, as it would go back to the previous menu without pushing that button. You can only create a custom EQ on the GameHub, and not look through all the specific presets. Interestingly, you can’t create a custom EQ in the smartphone app. This requires the GG software, which you’ll need anyway for firmware updates. These can’t be performed through the smartphone app unfortunately. This is the only headset I’m aware of that allows you to swap out batteries, and they are easy to change by removing the magnetized cap. Then you can charge it in the GameHub. The headset can also be charged with a USB-C cable and charger. If you’re a streamer, this is also the only headset I’m aware of that allows you to capture voice chat from a console and send it to the PC. This is done with the Line Out, and a 3.5mm cable plugged into the Line In on your PC or capture card. This is basically the only way to record voice chat from consoles, so a great feature for streamers who play competitive video games on console. Multiple USB-C cables are included, plus a 3.5mm cable to connect the headset into the GameHub with a cable. There’s also a pouch included with matching colors. I’d personally prefer a hard case for travel, but at least, it will protect the headset against dust and liquids when not in use. This is a true premium headset that I would heavily recommend for streamers and gamers who play extended sessions and want a great looking and sturdy headset with as much customization and as many features as possible.

I do want to preface this review for the Arctis Nova Elite by stating that I do have a hearing disability (mostly in my right ear). This does give me difficulties in detecting footsteps and such in FPS games. My hearing issue has a lot to do with tones and ranges...which is why it's important that I mention this for this review, as I will touch on it later. So, lets get started. As usual, I always start with the unboxing experience. I mean, if you're spending this much for a headset, you want the full experience, ya know? So...here we go. Unboxing/Packaging: Inside the shipping box, the retail box was nice and secured and WOW, it was MUCH smaller than I expected! It was wider and thinner than I anticipated and upon opening the headset box, I can say that I felt that it was a premium experience! The hardware itself immediately wowed me! The headphones definitely feel premium and I LOVE how lightweight they felt when I lifted them from the packaging. In fact, everything is pretty light, including the DAC/Receiver unit. The headphone isn't as shiny as I expected it to be, thankfully - it almost looks "velvety" and the metal parts are super shiny and black, but don't seem to pick up fingerprints as badly as I thought they would. The headset material also does not who smudge or anything, so that's a relief! Anyway, aside from the headset and receiver, you also get 3 USB cables (I love that they went ahead and gave you one for each of the inputs on the back!), a 3.5mm "line" cable to plug into the headphone for a direct connection, two batteries (one was already in the headset - the other was packaged and needed to be placed inside the dock, for charging) and a really nice manual. Setup and App: Ok, the Setup experience was just...stupid easy. I already have all-SteelSeries gear on my gaming PC (except the headphones that I use) - I have a Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 keyboard (I went with wired for this one), the Aerox 9 Wireless MMO Mouse, the Aerox 5 Wireless Mouse and a Prism XL mat. So, I'm already using their GG/Engine app and have some familiarity with it. Now, I initially got these headphones with the intention of using them on my PS5 Pro. I already have a pair of high-end headphones on my PC, which I absolutely adore and love. But with me already having all-SteelSeries gear on my PC, I seriously considered moving my other headset to the PS5 and just using these on my PC. BUT...I do most of my gaming on the PS5, so I really wanted to test these out there, first, then make my decision (spoiler...they stayed with the PS5, I loved them so much!). So, first things first. I did have to connect them to my PC and use the SteelSeries GG app to update the firmware. I plugged the dock into USB and you also have to do the same with the headset itself. Upon the dock initializing for the first time, it will ask you if you live in the EU - this is the volume limiter - which I set to OFF. Then, I went into SteelSeries GG and clicked to update the firmware. It took about 7-8 minutes to update, which went flawlessly. I then just left everything plugged in for the moment to fully charge up. This actually didn't take long at all to get from about 60% battery to 100%...maybe 45 minutes? Once that was done, I unplugged everything and started migrating it over to the PS5. Connecting to the PS5 was a cinch. I have the Pro, so there's no USB-A ports on the front. I plugged the cable into USB 1 (USB-C) on the back of the receiver and plugged that into the USB-A on the back of the PS5 Pro. For the ports on the back: PC and everything minus Xbox can be used on the USB-1 and 2 inputs. The last one, USB-3, is dedicated to Xbox, but you can also use it for PC, etc, as well - but I believe you have to change that in the receiver settings, as it defaults to Xbox (not 100% sure on this). I also want to note that these cans actually do 24bit on the PS5 - most headphones I've used only do 16bit. So, that's another huge win for me! SteelSeries recommends PC on USB-1, PS5 and other non-Xbox consoles on USB-2 and Xbox on USB-3. The headset was immediately recognized and detected by the PS5, with the proper name. The first thing I did was set the volume on the PS5 to the max on the slider. Since I typically don't use a mic most of the time, I clicked the button on the headset to mute the mic - that way I don't have to stare at an unsightly orange light on my controller or forget that I'm not muted and accidentally talk in game chat, lol. I do want to touch briefly on the app experience. In short? I absolutely love it! After I got it connected and set up, I can see my exact battery percentage. There's an option for the Volume Limiter (which for me, just confirms that it's off...I'll never toggle that on, lol), as well as a toggle for the noise control. Once enabled, you can choose between ANC and Transparency. I did play with this a little and it does affect the overall sound just a bit...and I felt the Transparency mode was ...OK? Nothing near Airpod levels or anything, but good enough if you need it. Mostly, I just left ANC off. I do love having all of the EQ Profiles available, of which there are over 300. I also went in and changed the setting for Bluetooth calls to lower the volume of the game, which was very nice to have. I can even see if the firmware needs an update or not - so I don't have to blindly move it to my PC, just to see if there's an update. Overall, a very enjoyable app experience, unlike that of most other gaming headsets that I've used. *An important note, which is found in the booklet (page 6) - if you're using this on PC, please be aware that SteelSeries and Sonar are ONLY supported via USB-1, as this is the designated port for PC use (it just isn't labeled as such). Also, don't forget to go into your Sound Properties and change it the supported 24bit/96kHz audio setting. Sound Quality, Connections, Features and Functions: Let me start here by saying - once you're set up and ready to go...make sure you go into the settings on the receiver and change your Gain from Low (the default) to High. Essentially, this is the "volume overhead" of the headset. Setting that to High will enable it to operate at a louder volume. At first, I was wondering why the volume was so low, until I found that setting and then did some quick research online. This, coupled with disabling the Volume Limited allows the headset to ABSOLUTELY SHINE. As for the sound quality on these cans, all I can say is WOW. It's absolutely phenomenal! Remember the "hearing issue" I mentioned in the intro of this review? This is one of the few (if not only) headsets I've ever used where I can actually hear a little more than normal in my bad ear. It's amazing! I usually keep the volume around the -12db level (a little over 3/4 of the way) and it's comfortable, without being too loud and I still have overhead if I really want to crank it and be immersed. I have been able to test these headphones with some of the latest games to release. This includes Battlefield 6, Ghost of Yotei, Borderlands 4, Absolum and Sonic Racing... along with some others, such as Black Ops 6 and Space Marine II. I feel that testing these games, specifically, give an idea of just how well-rounded this headset is. Battlefield 6 with the Wartapes or Wartapes V.A.L. audio mix is just freaking INSANE. All of the audio between the FPS games was very punchy and I could actually has some sense of directionality. I could hear things in this game that I've never been able to hear before - windows shattering, bullets grazing by, among many other sounds I'm just...not used to hearing. As for Ghost of Yotei - everything is so crisp and clear. From the swords clashing, to the wind whistling past. It just makes everything so ...immersive. And even better? I did all of my testing using the default Flat EQ! All of the games I tested sounded just beyond amazing! While I did talk about ANC above, in the Setup and App section, so I won't be redundant, there. As for the mic, I will say that it doesn't sound AS "tinny' as most other SteelSeries headsets that I've used, but it was still, a tad bit. I did find the "less nasally" mic EQ in the app helped with this. It has a boom mic AND on on-headset mic you can use without the mic being extended. I did test this on a call with my wife. She said the Boom sounded more clear, but not as loud. Whereas with the on-headset mic, I sounded loud, but not AS clear. She did comment that either way, it did sound better than my Airpods (and I'm using the Airpods Pro 3's on my phone). As for connection quality, I was able to walk all the way across my house (appx. 2,000 sq. ft.) and had zero dropouts or lag! Bluetooth to my phone was equally great. My only wish with Bluetooth is it's power is independent from the headsets power. If I turn the headset off...Bluetooth stays on. I've forgotten to turn it off so many times. I wish it would turn off with the headset and just reconnect when I power it back on. Instead of my having to remember to turn it on every time, in addition to the headset. I was not able to find any setting to alter this behavior. I'd love to see this perhaps in a firmware update. Other thoughts and conclusion: For me, these headphones are in my Top 3 - right up there, if not soaring to number 1. I was really torn on if I wanted these to be my primary on my PS5 or my PC, as the distance between them will not allow me to hook them up to both. Since my PS5 Pro is my primary gaming device and where I spend most of my time, I decided to keep them on my PS5 for the moment and make the console experience the focus of this review. Are the expensive? YES. Are they worth it? ABSOLUTELY. If you want a headset that is built like a TANK and an investment in the future that can support literally everything, this is what you want. 5/5!